2018 Mustang GT Trolls Porsche 911, Web Shrugs

There has been a lot of automotive enthusiasts trolling other gear heads on the Web ever since Ford released claims that its 2018 Mustang GT is quicker from 0 to 60 mph than a $94,000 Porsche 911. [Full press release and video at bottom of article.]

We love performance here at Auto Mentality, and we love luxurious design, too. For those reasons, it makes sense we are interested in what Ford has stated. The Mustang GT is a performance-oriented vehicle, and Porsche’s 911 Carrera ticks both the luxury and performance boxes.

We’ve driven the latest Porsche 911 Carrera (991.2 generation), and the out-going 2017 Mustang GT (with that stonking’ V8 motor). Ford’s claim the soon-to-be-sold 2018 iteration of their GT pony car is even quicker to 60 mph than the 911 is fighting words, and we’ve tuned into the taunt. Yes, it’s a public relations ploy by the smart communications gurus over at the Blue Oval, but come on, what’s the point of being mental about cars if you’re not going to debate a little bit, right? Besides, anyone who has driven both coupes knows the Mustang can’t corner as well as the apex predator from Stuttgart. It’s just fact. Bible.

It also seems a bit of a mismatch to compare the $33,000 American working man’s coupe against the German architect’s 2+2. The Ford has 8 cylinders, the Porsche only six. The ‘Stang is naturally aspirated, the P-Car is turbocharged.

So, while the Mustang GT might feel like the Costco bargain of straight-line performance for some, we clearly disagree it’s a fair comparison, and we’d double down on the 911 for every other metric to gauge the joy of driving.

Now, all the above stated, please proceed to your nearest Mustang or Porsche 911 message board and engage in debate with others, but just remember: No one cares.

“Typically, when you shift gears, you give up time,” said Widmann. “In Drag Strip mode, the engine torque doesn’t drop when you’re shifting. You get peak engine torque and horsepower straight through thanks to our new Ford-built 10-speed transmission.”

The car’s 5.0-liter V8 now features dual-fuel, high-pressure direct injection and low-pressure port fuel injection technology for increased power and efficiency. The engine’s 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque represent improvements over the current model’s 435 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. The result is an engine that delivers robust low-end torque, high-rpm power and improved fuel efficiency.

Drivers of EcoBoost®-equipped Mustang also will feel increased power on the strip. The retuned EcoBoost four-cylinder generates 310 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque – a 30 lb.-ft. gain over the current model. In Drag Strip mode with Performance Package and the 10-speed automatic, the 2018 EcoBoost-powered Mustang posts an impressive 0-to-60-mph time of under five seconds.

Drag Strip mode – one of five driver-selectable modes available for 2018 – has been designed to provide maximum acceleration and performance for straight-line driving. Drag Strip mode is primarily controlled by the transmission and delivers a significant acceleration boost, eliminating the lost time usually associated with automatic shifting.

The new 10-speed transmission, with a wide-ratio span and optimized gear spacing, helps deliver higher average power for acceleration – resulting in improved responsiveness and performance. The 10-speed architecture features Ford-patented power-flow and Ford-patented direct-acting hydraulic controls. It’s designed for optimum ratio progression and efficiency, and provides more accurate, quicker upshift and downshift capability.

In addition, an all-new electronic control system features real-time adaptive shift-scheduling algorithms engineered to help ensure the right gear is engaged at the right time, including skip-shift and direct downshift capability.